This Is Extremely Important To Me!!!!

[Break an Egg]

Try talking her into it by letting her know the facts. Taking care of chickens takes responsibility, and the chickens will eventually take care of you by way of fresh eggs.

 

[Orchidsilkie]

I FOUND A CHICKEN COOP AND PEN FOR $200 AND MY FOLKS SAID IT'S A GOOD PRICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY SAID THAT IF I SHOW A LITTLE TEENSY BIT MORE RESPONSIBILITY, THEY WILL CONSIDER!!!!!!!!!!! IF I DO GET CHICKENS, PICTURES TO COME!!!! THANKS TO ALL OF YOU! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!

 

[Orchidsilkie]

Oh, hold on... One question we need to know: How much square footage per chicken?

 

[bluebirdnanny]

If you want a good healthy flock and avoid illness from crowding, which causes pecking as well, I would triple the average accepted space. I got a supposedly 8 chicken coop... I can't even see three peaceably inhabiting it especially if they will need to stay enclosed in it due to bad weather.

I will be surrounding with a 30' pen (10' per chicken), and making a bigger coop around it. The more room to stretch the better for them. Then you will have room to add more if you want.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

There's different thoughts on this topic but the general rule is 4 sq. ft. of interior coop space per large-sized bird. Less if you have bantams. Inside your coop, you're going to need about 12 linear inches of roosting pole or board per large bird. They will probably use less as they like to squish against each other but I do have one bird that wants to be totally alone and won't roost near her friends.

Nesting boxes come in assorted sizes and flavors. Mine are 14 x 14 inches each as my girls are big. You'll need about 1 nesting box for every 3-4 hens. Even at that, they'll all try to use the same one at the same time!

If you're going to build a run, you would want about 10 sq. ft. per large bird.

Search the photo gallery here and you'll find many examples to give you some ideas.

 

[what did I do]

I would find out the cost of feed to feed the chicks and hens. I think tsc has a 6 chick minimum so how long will a 50 lb sack of feed last?

Good luck

 

[Orchidsilkie]

Thanks everyone!

 

[rockthecoop]

Great! I am on my mom's account (who says we can't share?) and I remember convincing my parents!! I checked out at least 20 booksss on chickens from the library. If you are going to get silkies, I suggest getting a few, and then maybe another breed. Silkies go broody sometimes, and it is always good to have a few great layers. I actually wanted two silies, but mom and dad like the barred rocks, wynadottes and Australorps better.

 

[slbenter]

Good luck to you! I've raised chickens before, like 25 years ago, and I'm here now, doing a bunch of research.
It will go a long way with your folks if you are currently being responsible with other chores, so make sure whatever those may be, that you're doing them well without constanty being told.

Chickens are wonderful scrap recyclers....and they produce very good fertilizer, if you compost it well.
The eggs taste much better than any you can buy in the grocery store.
They are fun to watch, but others may argue with that. "I" find them fun to watch anyway.
They can be funny too....
You must be careful if you have dogs and cats....cats don't usually post much of a threat, but dogs can be ruthless and more powerful.

 

[rlh1]

No slide but we did put two side by side with the roost running through from one side all the way to the other so they can easily move back and forth. We started with one and ended up with a "duplex" !

I lOVE this! I was thinking of doing the same thing but with one house. I have a coop already but want another so I can run a tunnel from one to the other. I live in Las Vegas, no free ranging here if I want them to stay safe.